Symbols In Death Of A Salesman

Symbols of Death of a Salesman The play, Death of a Salesman, was written by Arthur Miller who was " ... in all probability, one of the greatest playwrights of contemporary history He is also one of the greatest critics of contemporary American society, as his works often tend to portray American middlemen as heroes, bitterly and futilely fighting against the entire system of what 'Americanism ' is, with all its hues and negative aspects." (Kambli) All stories have hidden meanings, whether it be through the characters or the objects around them. A symbol is a physical object that represents an abstract idea or concept. While not all objects are meant to be symbols, the audience may interpret some things in a way that the author may not have intended. This happens often, but despite the personally interpreted symbols there are also the main symbols. While reading the play Death of a Salesman there are several

This is strange because as far as the reader knows they are struggling financially so it doesn 't make sense that he doesn 't want her mending the stockings. It isn 't until later when Biff discovers Willy with another woman and gives her stockings that is becomes clear why the stockings cause Willy distress. When Biff witnesses this he says, "You - you gave her Mama 's stockings!" He then proceeds to call his father a fake and leaves extremely upset. From that point on the stockings become a symbol of infidelity and whenever he sees his wife mending her stockings it reminds him of his betrayal. "Willy can 't get rid of the ghost of silk stockings, symbol of his infidelity, and cause of Biff 's distrust." (Ardolino) This mistake had major consequences for Willy Loman. Linda remains unaware of being cheated on, so to her knowledge the only reason Willy dislikes her to mend her stockings is for the sake of his pride and desire to provide for his